Jonathan Allen was among a number of members of the Washington Soccer Team that were “anxious” on the sidelines ahead of the team’s on-field goal attempt on Sunday. He has good reason to be.
Washington broke a new initiator, Brian Johnson. He was the team’s fourth top scorer of the year and Allen knew almost nothing about him.
“I’ve never seen him kick before,” Allen told reporters. “I don’t even know his name.”
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But the team captain knew it by now, as Johnson’s 48-yard goal with 37 seconds remaining gave Washington a 17-15 win over the Raiders in Week 13.
How would Johnson describe his game winner in Vegas?
“Is crazy,” he say.
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It also represents a moment of fulfillment for Johnson. He grew up in Bethesda, Md., and attended high school in Washington. He was a Raven fan growing up.
He also has experience replacing incumbent Washington striker Joey Slye, who is sidelined with injury. Johnson is Slye’s successor at Virginia Tech after Slye’s arrival in the NFL in 2018.
Johnson is now 9/9 in scoring attempts this year with the Saints and Washington. He will continue to play for Washington for at least two more weeks as Slye is benched because of a hamstring injury.
